Death defying stunts, combat aerobatics and epic matchups are just some of the notable features comprising a martial arts movie. People who are unaware or disinterested in this genre would often argue that these movies just advocate violence and killing. However, this conceptualization of martial arts films had been refurbished and reinvented by one man as his work ethic, ideology, acting, directing, and way of the fist exemplified that there is more to martial arts films than just pure violence and conflict. Many people – from artists, martial arts practitioners to fans – would hail this man as an indispensable foundation to the current image of martial arts seen today, as well as the man who revived Chinese films for both East and the West. From his humble beginnings as a child actor to being an icon in Chinese martial arts and film, Bruce Lee introduced the real image of Asians in the West, as well as the importance of the teachings undermined by martial arts and his own work ethic and philosophy.
Bruce Lee (or Jun Fan Lee) was born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, California to Grace Li and Hoi Cheun, a theater actor. Like other Chinese couples, Bruce’s parents were weary over the bad omens surrounding their children. In Bruce’s case, he was given the name Sai Fon (Small Phoenix) to throw off the spirits surrounding their family and for the spirits to see him as a girl, before renaming him Jun Fan (Return Again) as the couple wished to bring Bruce to Hong Kong. However, it was their attending doctor, Mary Glover, who had given him the nickname Bruce and it eventually stuck to the family. Upon their return to Hong Kong, the intense heat and environment had weaken Bruce’s immune system and would often fall sick. However, this frailty did not last long as Bruce grew up to be a very rambunctious youth that even his mother Grace commented that if Bruce sat still for a while, they would think something is wrong. His mother also commented that the young dragon would often skip school to escape his chaotic life, preferring to be out in the streets and read when he could. While he developed rebellious tendencies, he would help people in any way he could. His mother Grace became worried about his future as the young Bruce kept repeating the same mistakes. However, the young Bruce had argued that he would be a famous film star someday .
Since his youth, it was visible that Bruce had a talent for acting as seen in his first movies. With his father having connections in theater and opera, he was able to hone Bruce’s love and skill for film. In the 20 movies he had done before he turned 18, his mother often would comment that Bruce loved being called to set and would not complain with the time frame and work he was asked to do. When he acts, he would use facial expressions and voice intensity variations to further boost his role’s impact and identity (which would later on be a trademark in his adult films). When he began to practice kung-fu with his trainer Sifu Yip Man, Bruce slowly developed an acting style that would reflect his direction in life. Balance and harmony became his code and slowly, he believed that a gung fu man such as himself should not allow ambition to control his life. In his first adult films and roles, many had lauded his fierce fighting style, however, Bruce wanted to mostly act not just because of the fight scenes but he wanted to become the actor that people can actually emulate positively. His fans had taught him to reconsider his image as an actor and insisted on changing some of the storylines he is asked to perform. Bruce also argued that his acting, especially in his fight scenes, were theatrical action. “An action film is somewhat a blend of fantasy, realism and what takes places within the context of the film is nothing more than the natural outcome of the plot” was his belief throughout his acting. Before he signs up for any role, like what he did for his application for “Kato” for the “Green Hornet”, he asked whether the role was realistic and did not harm his sense of nationalism and ethnicity. He also strived to continuously grow and develop his craft and did not allow anyone, the studio or money, to dictate how he wanted to act. In the movies “Fists of Fury” (1971) and “The Chinese Connection” (1972), it was visible that he knew how to incorporate his athleticism with the screen and knew how to maximize its believability.
When it came to producing, directing, and organizing films, was an active and influential actor throughout the entire process as seen in his acting style and preferences. In his first movies such as Marlowe (1969), A Walk in the Spring Rain (1969), Fist of Fury (1972), and Enter the Dragon (1973), Bruce played as the action director and choreographed most of the fights. Bruce preferred to make sure that fight scenes were not one-sided and added a little comedy to break monotony in these fights. Directors would often comment, especially when Bruce played as Kato for The Green Hornet/ The Kato Show (1966) and in the movie the Big Boss that they had to ask Bruce to slow down as the cameras could not catch his attack clearly on film. Bruce also was one of the few actors who opted to perform his stunts without a stunt double or a harness. He only had two particular stunt doubles, Yuen Biao and Kim Tai Chung and they had performed for the movies “Game of Death” and “Tower of Death”. In an interview, he had also commented that his acting and style of film-making was something unique and not “Japanese” as Chinese movies in the period, according to Bruce, were imitated from the Japanese themes. In a statement, he said that “There were too many weapons – especially swords [in Chinese films]. So we used a minimum of weapons and made it a better film. I mean people like films that are more than just one long, armed hassle”.
In his own attempt to direct movies, he first concentrated in understanding how the entire film-making process is done – from writing to photography. He had already conceptualized several scripts and productions prior to his stardom but had failed to get the backing from a major film outfit due to his ethnicity, something he had later commented on in his life. Bruce knew that for him to act in his own terms and present a high notch film, he would need to have a personal control over the entire production. He also saw the Hong Kong film-making styles to be distractive as he believed that there should be some control in stories, which is why there is a need of a depth and characterization to the story to boost the entire storyline. He also believed that it was appropriate to give his characters with distinct and individual personalities that reflected his ideals and perceptions . In addition to this, his character would often stand against thieves and bullies and hold on his own .
In 1972, he brought his crew to Europe and since it was his first stint as a director, he demanded that his crew also had the same level of commitment he had throughout the creation of the movie. They worked endlessly for 14 hours per day, seven days a week which enabled them to shoot almost 62 setups in Rome’s airport. Fight scenes were also different in each take and the script was mostly for choreographed scenes. Many would notice that he did everything for the movie – write the script, produce the film, direct the film and finalize the entire product without a break. He would stay up each night to finish all his tasks and foregoing rest or sleep. Fred Weintraub, who produced “Enter the Dragon” (1973) commented that only Bruce can do the entire film-making progress without complaining as it is a full-time job. However, he had expressed concern that Bruce would also need to slow down and rest given the strain film-making has on a person. Bruce continued to produce and direct his films with “Game of Death” (1978), which was also the first movie he made that showcased Jeet Kune Do .
The nature of his films, his tenure as a teacher of Wing Chun and his own brand of martial arts Jeet Kune Do, had enabled many Westerners and even the Easterners to see that China offered something different in comparison to the common stereotypes that Chinese were poor and uneducated. Kung-fu, before Bruce Lee, was kept only to Chinese practitioners and was not allowed to be practiced by non-Chinese. Bruce, in his stay in the US, thought it would be good to teach Wing Chun as a profession as he wanted to share its teachings to those who were interested of it. However, he had met strict opposition from conservative Chinese practitioners as it is an unspoken rule that kung-fu should be taught to only the Chinese. Bruce, who loved teaching his students and believed that kung-fu should be shared to all, had challenged these practitioners and to whomever could defeat him, he would stop teaching. He had won all his battles and would be challenged throughout his acting career . While some of his students would become known in the American martial arts movie market, it was Bruce who established martial arts as a new market for film and with the introduction of Chinese kung-fu to the Americans and to his viewers, people are given another look at a world that exemplifies philosophy through its techniques. The role “Kato” had enabled Chinese kung-fu to reach out to the outside world and popularized it for all races. Bruce took this popularity on kung-fu by writing books in 1963 that outlines the mysteries and ideologies behind kung-fu, including his very own Jeet Kune Do. The book “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do”, which was released in 1975, stated that Chinese kung-fu or kung-fu conveys simplicity, but it is difficult to share completely .
Given all of his critical acclaim, radical ideals and unique techniques, Bruce Lee had made his impact throughout the globe and became a legend like no other even after his death on July 20, 1973. In an interview with Shannon Lee, Bruce’s daughter, in 2010, she stated that her father was not just a movie star or a martial artist. He was an icon for eliminating racial barriers attached to Asians and minorities and opened the world to what Asians can do. He was someone who embodied people who had been placed under immense scrutiny and prejudice and fought against it to make his way to the top. Shannon recalled that her father was proud of his heritage and was not afraid to show it. In the 2000 documentary “The Warrior’s Journey”, Bruce had been quoted saying that “to accept defeat -- to learn to die -- is to be liberated from it. Once you accept, you are free to flow and to harmonize. Fluidity is the way to an empty mind. You must free your ambitious mind and learn the art of dying” . Looking at his acting and directing career, it is visible that Bruce Lee had indeed managed to break the bonds that prevents him from performing to the top of his capabilities and learnt how to accept defeat and die and live on as a legend.
Works Cited
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